Grey World
by Inamioly
Summary: A desperate, silent ask for help. Will she turn her back to him? Will he surrender at last and admit he is not who the world thought he was? Dramione fluff, of course. Check it out, see for yourselves. :D eheh


_One day after the war. The light won, and the wizarding world suffered major losses. Some will be more missed than others, yes, but nonetheless... Hope you like it. I had thought about making this story more than a one-shot, but I realized I'm still too Fresh, if you know what I mean, to do it. So, try to enjoy it, and tell me what you think. It would mean the world to me, yes?_

_Febya_

"What are you doing here, Mudblood?"

The girl flinched, but her feet did not move. Keeping her chin up, she spoke in a confident voice that did not replicate her inner feelings. "I am entitled to be here, you know."

"In this particular bathroom? With me in the same physical space as you? I don't think so. Sod off." His tone was harsh, yet he had his eyes fixed on the sink, his hands trembling.

"I am not sure if you are aware of the fact that this _is_ the girls' bathroom…" Hermione took a few steps forward, leaning against one of the bathroom cubicle's wall, "but if you weren't, you are now. And as I am a girl, and you are a boy…" She let her words hover, hoping to get a reaction other than sheer hate.

"Don't talk to me in a condescending way." The words were unsteady in his voice, and he finally lifted his head so as to see her reflection on the broken mirror.

Hermione sucked a breath when her eyes fell on his tear-stricken face. "I'm sorry. I am sorry." The tap was leaking, and the noise of the little drops falling against the hard glass calmed him down. The boy turned his attention to the sink one more time. "We won. We really, really won." Her murmur seemed to have the strength of a thunderstorm, and he cringed.

"Oh, you think I have missed the whole celebration party going on in the Common Room, don't you?" Draco Malfoy gave a shaky laugh, irony dripping out of his words.

"No, _Draco_, I mean _we_ won. I know what it cost you. I probably know it better than anyone else. I saw it. We could never, ever have done it without you." She scanned him, noticing the blood on his sleeve.

"And I am supposed to be in an absolute bliss for having a Mudblood's recognition and gratitude?" He spat, punching the sink. Hermione gasped fearfully, but stood still in her spot, glad that she had a door next to her where she could hide, should things get more complicated, and eyed him defiantly. "I walked out on my friends. My friends…" He inhaled heavily, "they died. I walked out on them, I abandoned them, and they died."

"I know." Hermione whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"My family… My entire family has been supportive of the Dark Lord since I can remember, and it had to be me, Draco Lucius Malfoy, ruining it all. My father! He would have been killed if things had gone the right way for the other ones! And my mother… she could have been tortured to death by my dear father's friends. Or worse, to insanity." The little color he had left was drained from his face the moment the statement left his mouth.

"Do you…" Hermione cleared her throat. "Do you regret having sided with us?"

The tapping stopped. Draco suspected it had not even been there at all. The silence was overwhelming; he could almost hear her racing heartbeat. The blond boy had his silvery blue eyes meet her brown ones at last. The Griffindor noticed he appeared to be trying to hold back a smile while smirking at the same time, which resulted in an abnormal facial expression. Had the circumstances been more pleasant, she would have laughed along, mocked him mercilessly for the rupture of the steadiness of his once composed features. A reluctant smile emerged from his lips, and the battle between his heart and brain came to a halt.

"I never regret the choices I make when I am previously warned about the pros and the cons." Draco hesitantly looked down at his feet, exhaling profoundly.

"That seems like an answer prepared 'at home'."

"It is." He admitted.

Hermione's insides were suffering from a kind of happiness she wanted to ignore and let fade away. She chose to think it was because she had just found out the wizarding world had one evil people less. "You did the right thing, Draco." She took a few more steps closer to him, and reached for his hand.

"Don't…" He retreated from her touch, his back loudly smacking against the sink.

"I guess old habits die hard." The girl tried to hide the disappointment she felt gaining power in her thoughts, but her words were vacillating.

"Oh…" He focused his attention on her. "It's not th- just don't."

"What? Too manly to cry in front of a girl? In front of a _Mudblood_?" She suddenly burst, waving her arms as the yells filled the empty bathroom. "Harry admires you. He told me so himself. Even Ron said, and I quote, 'That bloody ferret is not so bad after all.'." A second tear, this time rage being her diesel, escaped her eye.

A hollow laugh was his response to Hermione's outburst, and the girl was about to resume her shouting when a choked scream was heard. "How is that supposed to make me feel better? I am no-one now. Nothing more than a snitch to my father's friends, a Death Eater gone good to save his own ass to the rest of the world. A disappointment to my family."

Hermione smiled. "That's hardly nothing."

"You know what I mean. I almost wish I had never traded sides, and I had been either killed or a winner. Now I will never be given the chance to be myself, as the world we live in is only black and white, not grey. There's no place for a guy like me. I'm in the middle. You, and the rest of the Golden Trio…" He sighed, and she saw true regret in his eyes. "You are white. Out of bounds for an ex Dark Lord supporter like me."

Draco waited patiently for her reply, and was already practicing his 'sighing in frustration' face, but it did not come. He glanced at her, only to find her smiling friendly at him, and was suddenly thoroughly curious to understand what was consuming her thoughts. Hermione's body swung rhythmically, and the first adjective that occurred to him to describe her was _insane_.

"You did not do it to save your life." Her soft voice, the statement itself, it made him dizzy.

"What?" He questioned tiredly. "Why are you even here, anyway?"

"The fight… you changed sides, but not for your own sake. You did what you thought was right. And should never," She put an emphasis on the last word, "believe the ghost of your past bad choices will be with you for the rest of your life. You've learnt from your mistakes."

Hermione closed her eyes, afraid of an explosion on his behalf.

"You really think so?" His voice was tiny, and so was the look on his silver eyes.

"I came here to tell you this. We know… we all know you have made sacrifices, and are more than willing to help you settle in this mess. The world is not white, now. It's grey. Your color. It's full of people like you, who have made their choices, and their mistakes, and should be forgiven. Already are forgiven." She amended, a third tear finding its way out of her brown eyes.

"Why…" His feet started moving towards her, but none of them ever realized it. "Why are you saying all this? I have been nothing but a jerk to you all these years. I do not deserve your compassion. I don't even deserve your respect."

"I think what you did in the battle… what you did for me in the battle, pretty sums it up." She grinned, an act that intensified when she saw him reddening.

"Oh… you were there. I couldn't just leave you th-"

Their faces were an inch apart, and both of them could hear voices down the hallway. Hermione stretched her neck and softly pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you."

He caressed his cheek, a slight smile flourishing. "I guess we'd better be going now. People must be wondering where you are. You just escaped the celebration party, never said a word to any of them. We wouldn't want them to be worried and cause panic."

"Yes, I guess so." Hermione unwillingly backed off, and turned her back to him. Her footsteps echoed in the bathroom, and she stepped into the corridor, inhaling in order to get her thoughts organized. A hand grabbed her by the elbow.

"Help me adjust to the grey world. I don't think I can do it alone." Draco Malfoy pulled Hermione Granger into a tight embrace, before pressing his lips onto hers.

_A/N: SOoooo, what did you all think? (I don't mind, you can tell me if you did not like it :) )_

_I so love Draco and his bad boy attitude. Eheh, but I like him even better when he drops the act. xD_

_Kisses, Febya_


End file.
